There are around 100 stores on Yellow Street, with rent ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 per month. The majority of them paid monthly, but others paid two to five months in advance, whilst others settled in advance for a full year. Only a few stores have paid for a year's rent, and one of them is the Moonstone Café.
There are fifteen Café's on Yellow Street, but the Moonstone is the most popular due to its kind and inviting staff. The indoor environment is exceedingly warm, with high-quality appetizers and drinks made by talented people.
The Moonstone Café on Yellow St. was the second branch location. Customers kept returning to buy snacks and drinks made from high-quality ingredients and refreshing taste. With satisfied customers, the business began to expand after only a few months. After running their business for a year, they decided to open a branch in the business district.
While Jared's eyes were roaming around the shop, his phone screen lit up and rang. He quickly answered while flipping through the papers.
"Oui? ( Yes? )"
Nordy lifted his head and stared at Jared.
'is he speaking Prench?'
While Nordy stared at him in amazement, Jared's gaze was fixed on the paperwork, his hand holding a phone to his ear while listening to the joyous and excited voice on the other end of the line.
"Jared ! Je suis si heureuse de te parler à nouveau. Devine quoi ! Devine quoi ! ( Jared! I'm so glad to talk to you again. Guess what! Guess what! )"
His lips curled upwards. He knew what Angélique was about to say, but he didn't want to reveal the obvious and ruin the surprise.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est ? Y a-t-il quelque chose qui te rend heureux ? ( What is it? Is there something you are happy about? )"
Angélique didn't engage in much conversation and instead decided to tell what had transpired and how she cooked in order to impress everyone with her skills. Her face was filled with enthusiasm and an obviously satisfied expression of happiness.
While the two were sitting, the Café owner squinted her eyes when she noticed a familiar face. She walked rapidly towards the two people sitting at the table by the window. Her clothing hugged her figure, showing her well-defined curves. Her legs were long and white. She has a beautiful but stern face. Looking at her stern expression, one could assume she has an attitude, however the reverse is true.
"Mr. Glenn?"
Her lovely voice and pleasant face prompted Nordy to lift his head and look up at her. With her lips arched up in a smile, her deep dimple on the left made her face more attractive.
"Mrs. Minerva"
The two know each other because Nordy works in real estate management that manages the entire Yellow St., and the woman is the owner of the Café and the granddaughter of Albert Monde, who runs Greenleaf Central Bank.
"It's been a while since I've seen you"
Nordy saw Minerva's questioning gaze while stealing glances at Jared, who was busy socializing and speaking in a foreign language.
"Oh, vraiment ? Je suis contente d'avoir pu t'aider. Essaie de cuisiner d'autres plats. Ce serait sympa que tu cuisines à nouveau pour eux, et je sais qu'ils adoreraient ça. ( Oh. Really? I'm glad i could be of help to you. Try to cook other dishes. It would be nice for you to cook for them again, and i know they would love it. )"
Minerva was startled to hear a supposedly native man from Imperial Country speak fluent foreign language. She was freshly married, yet she couldn't stop herself from staring deeply at the gorgeous man before her.
In her point of view, the man seated in front of her was ideal. Minerva thinks highly of him, possibly because of the charm provided by the system.
Nordy motioned Minerva to come closer. He muttered in her ear, making her eyes widen with surprise. "He is the new owner of Yellow St."
Her eyes almost balled out from the socket. Seeing the young man in front of her, she harbours questionable thoughts.
Who wouldn't. For someone so young to purchase the whole street, who wouldn't question such a fact.
"Ok. Prends soin de toi. Transmets mes salutations à ta famille. ( Okay. Take care. Send my regards to your family. )"
After hanging up. He closed the folder and lifted his head. He was aware of someone's presence but was engaged with signing documents and speaking.
"Mr. Hale, this is Minerva, the owner of this Café. Mrs. Minerva, this is Jared Hale"
They shook each other's hand wearing a smile on their faces.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. It was a surprise to me that someone so young owned the famed street"
"The pleasure is all mine. For someone who paid worth of year rent, must've been you had planned to stay for longer. I hope your business flourishes so that you won't think about stopping and setting your business outside my domain. Don't stand, please sit down "
Minerva laughed softly and sat down beside Nordy. They've only just met, but the warm laughing and friendly atmosphere, one would think that they are friends.
"I love building my business in crowded places, it easily gets me on top and i have no plans on leaving this place. This is one of the business districts. I had to fight unreasonable people just to get this spot and luckily, i did. As planned, of course it wouldn't be a problem if the management stays the same as usual and we will have no problem doing business in the future"
Minerva is known for her etiquette and conversation style, but she also has a do-not-mess-around attitude with some people she didn't like and those who sabotage her and her business.
In her business, she emphasizes quality, talent, and profitability. Her intelligence and strong preference for recruiting people with talents have resulted in her success even at such a young age.
"Now that i have sole control over the street, i need people who will be managing my business and renting on behalf of myself. People who i can count on, somebody i could trust with money and will never pocket even a penny. As you know, money is the source of evil, thus i require trustworthy individuals who will manage this street in my place. Do you have people like that?"
Of course, when it comes to money, human greed tends to go overboard, which is why Jared needed someone he could trust with the most crucial aspect of his business. He did not want just anyone to handle his money. He was looking for someone loyal and trustworthy.
Anyone who has an experience in handling rental properties such as accountants and lawyers.
Nordy flicked his fingers and aimed his thumb at the lady next to him. "If you need people, Mrs. Minerva's family are accountants and business graduates. Their family owns a bank. I think it will be more suitable to have accountant people manage your business"
Jared shifted his eyes on Minerva.
"Yes. My grandfather owns a bank and my father is the acting CEO. If it's not me being presumptuous, i would like my family to handle this. If you want, i can introduce my uncle. He has experiences in managing rental properties"
"What about the legal attorney who was in charged on existing contracts? I needed one for sure"
It's not just about management staff. The most important was the attorney who holds and drafts legal contracts.
"Well, as for the attorney, the previous owner has one, but i don't know if he could handle this street since i heard he was going to retire"
People can easily replaced, but he is unsure whether the next person responsible will be trustworthy. He doesn't want someone who will steal his money and swindle him behind his back.
"I want to have a conversation with the previous owner, do you know where he lived?"
Time is ticking, and days are passing. The given mission must be completed before the end of the month. He needed to assess everything and prepare his future steps. Accumulating 100,000,000 is not simple, and who knows what the system has in store for him next.
Nordy pondered for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't want Jared to meet the previous owner, but because the owner was in poor health and was in the hospital, he didn't know if the old guy might correspond with him. "He is in the hospital. Why don't i contact him for an appointment and i'll let you know his answer"
Jared nodded and returned to his seat. He drank his coffee and looked outside the shop.
"Why don't i walk around the street since we're already done with the papers" he said while staring at the people passing by.
"Of course. I will take you around if you want. What about you, Mrs. Minerva, would you like to come with us?"
Minerva shook her head, expressing dejection. "I would love to walk with you but i have somewhere else to be, forgive me"
"No worries, Mr. Nordy is here to guide me" Jared answered while shaking his head.
"Well then, let me lead the way"
After getting up from their seats, Jared and Nordy walked out of the shop, followed by Minerva's eyes, who picked up her phone and watched them converse while walking.
'if i'm not married, i would've jumped to him. Such fine charismatic and attractive man. I wonder how old he is'
"What is it, dear?"
Minerva's lips immediately curved up to a smile hearing her uncle's loving voice.
"Uncle, please stop that, i'm not a child anymore. Stop speaking like you are talking to a child"
Though it sounds like she was nagging her uncle, it was in fact the opposite.
"Aww, come on. You are still a baby to me. What is it, my dear niece. It's unusual for you to call out to me. Do you need something? Another property for your business? I will help you" he eagerly answered without a second thought.
"Would you like to work on Yellow St.?"
"You want me to rent a building and run a business there?"
Minerva laughs at her uncle's words. She knows her uncle had concerns and questions about what she was saying. He graduated from accounting school and has worked in a variety of positions over the years. He would be able to manage rental properties with ease thanks to his extensive experience.
"No uncle. The work i'm talking about is in your line of work, and i'm sure you will like it"